Transgenders Are Facing Inequality Regarding Their Right To Vote in Pakistan

The election commission of Pakistan reported on October 12^th that there are approx. 50 million male voters and 42 million female voters in the country. The commission, however, reported that there are only 1,456 people in the country who have transgenders’ CNIC and are hence the registered voters of this category.

The Transgender Community Is Furious At This Unjust Treatment

The transgenders in Pakistan are of the opinion that this is another example of an unequal behavior with them. They further confirmed that they are hundreds of thousands in number all across the country and that their population is much higher than what is shown in the electoral rolls and even in a census. The head of the transgender association for fundamental rights SAFR claims that in the capital territory of Islamabad, there are more than 300 members of this community.

This Is Not the Only Example of Unjust Treatment of Transgenders In the Country Nowadays

Another big issue that is being discussed in the media regarding the unsatisfactory treatment of the transgenders in Pakistan is that of the disrespect shown towards a dead transgender body by any morgue. The management of Khyber Medical College Morgue in Peshawar has really disappointed the people of the country in general and the transgenders in Pakistan in particular.

KMC Morgue has refused to keep the body of a dead trans person who was recently murdered in Darmangi. An activist of the Transgender community rights Qamar Naseem told the media that the KMC management has refused to keep the body by saying that it is way too decomposed and it would make their freezers dirty. He further told that the contractor of the government has also plainly refused to bury the trans gender’s body. Qamar added that this is extremely shameful that a human’s body is being treated this way.

The name of this murdered person is Arif, and at the end, Edhi Foundation had agreed to bury the body. A morgue is the only body freezing facility in KPK and the community had no other option to go for.

A police officer while talking to media told that the body of Arif had torture marks and the throat also slit. Therefore, the body was sent to KMC for an autopsy. People are furious over the police too for being unable to provide the needed security to transgenders in Pakistan.

This is the 53^rd transgender murder since 2015 and officials are of the opinion that this won’t stop unless the government provides all the needed security to the transgender community, along with what happens after they die.